Budget consultation under way
Published: 21 December 2023
Derby City Council is proposing a balanced and responsible budget
Derby City Council’s budget consultation for 2024-25 is now open.
Anyone living, working or studying in Derby is urged to have their say on proposals for a balanced, responsible budget before the end of Friday 26 January.
High inflation, interest rates and rising prices have continued to make it more expensive for councils to provide services, while demand for services continues to grow.
Massive reductions in Government funding since 2010 has left councils less resilient to all of this, with Derby and the wider local government sector being forced to put precious resources into extensive lobbying for reforms to .
Despite these challenges, the Council is consulting on a balanced budget for 2024/25. This would be achieved through a mixture of proposed reductions to some services, continued transformation of the Council to become more efficient and manage demand, and using our maximum allowance of Council Tax.
Details of the proposals can be viewed with the consultation at letstalk.derby.gov.uk/budget2024. The consultation can be completed online from now until Friday 26 January 2024. Paper copies can be downloaded and printed out from the website for return by post, and copies in alternative formats are available by emailing letstalkderby@derby.gov.uk or contacting us.
To fund services next year, the proposals include increasing Council Tax by 4.99%, with 2% of this ringfenced for adult social care. This would mean a £82.67 a year increase for a household living in a Band D property. Most properties in Derby fall under Band A which would mean an increase of £55.11 year, or £1.06 week, for residents.
Alongside the main budget consultation is a separate consultation about the review of care packages for adults living in the community, to focus on the most essential needs of the most vulnerable people. More people over 85 and more people under 65 with complex needs require our help to live at home or in a supported setting, and the cost of providing care is increasing. This will be open for comment until Wednesday 7 February 2024 and can be found with the main budget consultation.
Councillor Baggy Shanker, Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for Strategy, Governance and Finance, said:
This isn’t the budget we wanted to be consulting on, but we want to set a balanced and responsible budget which will support our ambition for Derby, look after our most vulnerable people, and allow us to start paying back into our depleted reserves.
Earlier this week the Government’s announced its annual funding settlement of £64 billion for local councils with the huge fanfare. This wasn’t new money, it’s what we were told last year and planned for, but our actual settlement is £269,000 less than we were expecting. I will be writing to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State, to express my extreme disappointment.
I would urge everyone to take part in this consultation, it’s more vital now that we hear your views than it’s ever been before.